Pizza Rolls

Have you made monkey bread before? It can be sweet; it can be savory- I prefer the savory, like garlic butter rolls, or like I made this time- pizza style! Once again thanks to Pinterest I discovered a recipe posted by Confections of A Foodie Bride for pizza monkey bread. This is not your hurry up and bake pizza, but more like grab a cider and have some fun in the kitchen.  Plus it makes a great recipe for a party because of it's presentation.

Glutenfreeda Pizza Wraps

We review two pizza wraps from Glutenfreeda. Do good things come in small packages, or should we resort to something larger, more traditional (like a real pizza)? Watch and find out!

Eggplant Pizza

So I bought a giant eggplant at farmer's market last weekend, not quite sure what I was going to do with it, but wanting to do something fun and different.  My husband says he generally doesn't like eggplant, but I think this meal changed his mind.  We took large rounds of eggplant, fried them using Choice Batter--the best breading for frying, gluten free or not, hands down-- and then baked them with homemade tomato sauce and Daiya cheese on top.  The result, a gluten free, dairy free, vegan dish to be eaten with knife and fork. Simple and delicious!

Bella Gluten Free Crust Mix

I had seen Bella mixes advertised in Living Without Magazine, and then one day I had a delivery of them on my front door. The mixes are super allergen friendly but sometimes that translates to lack of taste, undesirable textures, and the like.  With the weather finally starting to cool down, and me gearing up for fast, quick grab meals, it was time to make up the pizza mix.

The mix is supposed to make two large 14 inch pizzas, but I decided to make up the dough and make 6 personal size pizza crusts that I would par-bake and then freeze. The dough was really easy to work with.  My special secret is to wear gloves when working with anything sticky.  I divided the dough equally and made up my little rounds by hand; not the most perfect circles, but it just adds an extra artisan touch.

Simply Shari's Pizza

Simply Shari's (previously known as Gluten Free & Fabulous) has gone through a huge overhaul in branding in the past year.  The company makes a variety of items to include cookies, pasta meals, and pizza.  The pasta meals fell short of my expectations, but the cookies generally redeemed my faith in the company. As a pizza lover I had to try theirs, but how did it fare?

Against the Grain Gourmet Pizza

Against the Grain Gourmet is a celiac-owned family business, so you know they cook for the love of it. After having the cheese pizza with friends we decided to investigate the pesto pizza.

O'Doughs Pizza Kit

 I just love pizza! We were set some samples from O'Doughs while I was in the hospital and it was nice to have some quick frozen options when I came back home. Their banana chocolate chip cake is pretty tasty, and their flax rolls were some of the softest rolls I've had in a long time.

Their pizza, however, is one of the best thin crusts, gluten free, that I have had.  I love, love, love the crust; the sauce, is just ok, but I normally make my own, so I have a bit of a bias there. Check out the great pizza we had for dinner by watching a short episode of GFree TV, and then run to the store...I hope they have it!

King Arthur Pizza Mix

PIZZA!  A favorite of all! I've tried the majority of the premade crusts available in my area and beyond, so I thought I better try a mix.  My husband and I are big fans of King Arthur Pancake Mix, so it was time for me to try out their dry pizza mix.  At $9.00 a box I was really hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. Now what I discovered is that....

7 Sisters Pizza

There's a new gluten free pizza in town... you'll find it in your freezer section at least in Sacramento, or you can dine directly with them in the Citrus Heights area. Wondering who I'm talking about? It's 7 Sisters Italiano. Her only retail item at the moment is a cheese pizza kit: two rectangular crusts, house made tomato sauce, and homemade fresh mozzarella. The kit costs about $11.00, but considering the crust is already broken down into two it can easily be made into two meals, which comes to $5.50 a pizza, which is about the cost of two Udi's crusts.

WoodStock Pizza has Gluten Free Crust

I recently discovered that Woodstock Pizza is offering a gluten free crust option. Now I know a lot about pizza and pizza crusts, and normally you get the option of a small or a medium gluten free crust, but at Woodstock gluten free only translates to a Large pizza, which is approximately 16 slices. This was truly the largest gluten free pizza I have ever had an opportunity to consume; one slice at a time of course.

I ordered the pasta primavera, which had pesto, tomatoes, broccoli, and artichokes, and I couldn't help but order extra cheese. It took about twenty minutes and then my pizza was delivery to the table. They didn't skimp on the veggies or the cheese! It was a thin crust but it was able to generally hold up against the weight of all the toppings. Crunchy, yet soft,- it was delicious. Now my suspicion is that the crust comes from a non-dedicated gluten free company and it is made in a non-dedicated area, so it could be two counts of cross contamination, but I personally did not have any gluten reactions.

As for cost, I used a coupon, but I think this bad boy would run you about $22 or so. Considering all the other GF pizza options I've eaten, and the size of the pizza, I think that's a pretty good deal.

Mariposa Pizza

Over a year ago I tried my first treat from Mariposa Bakery in Oakland, CA. Recently Gluten Free Specialty started receiving deliveries of their fresh baked breads and pizza crusts, and so of course, I had to give it a try.

I've had Schar, Udi's, Glutino, Bavaria Mills, homemade, and I'm sure, a few others. Mariposa's crust falls high on my lift of preference. It stays firm, gets golden, and has a nice, mild herbiness to it. Their baguettes are also absolutely delicious; they make a great salami sandwich.

If you're ever in Oakland or San Francisco you should grace them with a personal visit.

Flippin Pizza

A pizza-by-the-slice joint that offers gluten free pizza? Well if you're in Southern California, Flippin Pizza deserves a stop. Now, if the gluten free pizza was premade and by-the-slice too, that would be even more awesome, but instead you do have to purchase the entire pizza. Now gluten free pizza tends to range from $16-$27 dollars, but at Flippin Pizza, you can get a 9 inch pizza for the low, low cost of $9.00, plus $1 per additionally topping.

That all sounded good to me, so fifteen minutes later I had fresh, hot gluten free pizza on the table. For a new york style pizza place they picked the right gluten free thin crust. And for once, a super thin crust that didn't flop under the pressure. I hadn't met a pizza crust, even Udi's, that doesn't droop when fully loaded. It was a little sketchy as to which bakery/vendor was responsible for the crust, but it was phenomenal! I wish it had been more like a 12 slice pizza instead of 4, or that I wouldn't have to wait another 15 minutes for another one to bake, so I could take one with me.

One tip: Just make sure to call the location you're planning on visiting to confirm they have gluten free crust in stock.

Schar Pizza

Pizza: it's a strong possibility that if needed, I could eat it every day. There sure are a selection of gluten free pizza crusts on the market, most are frozen, so now I often find myself questioning any gluten free bread-like products that are sitting on the shelf. Well, I found one that's worth it- Schar. Schar pizza is shelf stable and is sold in 2 packs for about $8.00.
At first glance and touch, I wasn't impressed, but I loaded it up with sauce and topping, popped in the microwave, and fifteen minutes later, I had one grubbing pizza. My husband loved it.

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza is awesome, even for breakfast! We wanted to hit the beach early, so we figured we'd bring breakfast with us. Pancakes and scrambled eggs on there own would be rather difficult, but pizza is a hand held meal, so it seemed like the obvious decision. That and I brought some awesome fake cheese- Daiya, with me, for my dairy free family members, and they were in love with it-used it somehow on every meal we had it seemed. We did some scrambled eggs, chives, and fresh herbs, veggies, and cheese. We were out of potatoes or we would have done hash browns too. Try it- it wasn't half bad.

Chebe Pizza Dough

This pizza crust is like Jekyll and Hyde; it has a hard, crispy outer shell... but as you work your way inward, it shows its softer side. We'd like to see a firmness somewhere in between the two, but we'll leave the final decision to you all out there in Gluten Free land. What's your favorite type of pizza crust? Droopy? Crispy? Somewhere in between? Post your comments and let us know!

Bavaria Mills Pizza & more!

It's becoming easier and easier to eat gluten free, with more and more options hitting the shelves each week, but what if you have multiple food allergies? I came across a company that offers gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, and sometimes, by special request, egg free products. Bavaria Mills, out of Washington, is a completely wholesale company, offering their products to pizza joints and what not in their area, and slightly beyond. To my knowledge, my local store is currently an exclusive seller of their products. They do premade pie-crusts- (awesome!), pizza crusts in multiple sizes, breads, croutons, and beyond. Fat Mike's in Elk Grove, CA is currently using this pizza crust for their gluten free offerings, and now I can make the crust at home, without the worry of cross contamination. I suggest you try to get your favorite, local pizza place to carry this gluten free option.
So as soon as I saw that the product was added to the shelf I picked up the 2 pack of 8" pizza crusts, for just under $6. Their pizza crusts are parbaked, meaning it's not fully cooked when you get it. I have been in love with Udi's pizza crust for awhile and now I'm tied in my love with this brand. Udi's is more of a flat bread style and Bavaria Mills is thicker, and more light and fluffy. There are currently no baking instructions on the packaging, however after making both pizza crusts I can tell you it works well to bake the crust at 375 degrees for 7 minutes, then add your sauce and toppings, and bake it for 10 more minutes.

Truly delicious!

Conte's Pizza: Doesn't Live up to their Ravioli

Awhile back I tried out Conte's gluten free ravioli and the company was generous enough to send GFree TV samples of their pizzas and their microwave meals as well. Conte's offers 2 gluten free, wheat free pizzas: Margherita Pizza with roasted garlic and olive oil, and Mushroom Florentine with roasted garlic and olive oil. One 16oz pizza offers 4 servings, each around 225 calories. Bake for 12 minutes at 450 degrees, and you're good to go.

My husband and I were huge fans of the ravioli, however the pizza was not the best. Now it is possible that it thawed slightly being shipped across the US and then it was placed back in the freezer, which did something strange to the pizza, but I can't be sure.We found the crust to be too doughy, it seemed almost uncooked. There was a decent amount of sauce, but it was a little short on cheese. Overall, we found the flavor to be bland, and the crust seemed to get worse after each bit. We're big pizza people, and neither one of us finished our slices, so that means something is astray with this product. And in all honesty, my husband thought it was to the point of inedible and threw it away.

Their raviloi's were great but their pizzas need some serious work in our opinions. I also have their frozen microwave meals in the freezer, so we'll have to see how those fare.

French Meadow Bakery

If you haven't been able to tell my previous posts, I have a thing for pizza. Everyone likes to have options, as do I. This time around I tried out the pizza crust from French Meadow Bakery. Their products are gluten free, lactose free, casein free, peanut free, and are diabetic-friendly (meaning they are low on the glycemic index).

The crusts are frozen and 2 pan pizzas come in a package. They have 130 calories per 1/3rd of the crust, but the pizza is so small you'll end up eating the whole thing, which means you're consuming 390 calories from the crust alone. It irritates me when you know you're going to eat the whole package but the whole package is 2 or 3 servings. Why do companies do that?

Anyhow,... I loaded up my toppings on the pizza, and baked it for 15 minutes in its own pan. The edge of the crust was nice and crisp with a good crunch to it, but the bottom middle of the pizza seemed a little too moist, almost to the point of not being done. Still slightly doughy. Once out of the pan and onto plates, I noticed the crust broke apart pretty easy; it kind of wanted to fall apart. For me, that makes this pizza a C- for consistency, but on the plus side, I give it an A for flavor.

Amici's Pizza

If you haven't previously read my other posts on Amici's pizza ( post 1 and post 2), I'm a huge fan. Whenever I'm passing through Vacaville, CA, which is the closest location to my house, I have to stop there. My husband and I were driving home from a trip in the bay and we were hungry, so where did we stop??? Amici's of course! Here's our video review from GFree TV.

New Gluten Free Pizza Option in Elk Grove

There are several pizza places that have begun offering gluten free pizza crusts, but most are using the Still Riding Pizza Crust. There's a new gluten free player in town and it's Fat Mike's, in Elk Grove, CA. I called to inquire about the pizza and they are using Bavaria Mills gluten free crust. I tried to contact the company directly and I have finally received a response back.

"Here is a quick run down on our company-Bavaria mills is a dedicated GF bakery on the outskirts of Portland. Everything we make is GF, Wheat, Corn and Soy Free. In addition some items are also dairy and egg free. In general, we try to return nutrition and fiber to the GF diet.
Thank you for supporting the GF community.....!

Mike and Marie
Owners- Bavaria Mills"


So Fat Mike's is charging $3 extra for the gluten free crust. I can't wait to try it out, but wanted to share the news so some of you could go and try it out. Everyone on goggle has given the place good reviews for their "normal" pizza, and usually those ratings translate to the gluten free pizza. For instance, in my opinion Steve's Pizza is just average, and thus their gluten free is just mediocre, but Amici's pizza is more gourmet, and thus their gluten free pizza seems quite good. So you'll be hearing more from me after I actually get to try it, (and most likely that will involve an episode of GFree TV,) but if any of you have had the Bavaria Mills gluten free crust, or have had the gluten free pizza at Fat Mike's please leave me a comment and let me know how it is.